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Castalia
The island state of Persenoes differs somewhat from the rest of the Realm of Calibran. Firstly, the great geographical distance from the capital means that it enjoys a great deal of autonomy and secondly, and most importantly, the more important positions at the top of the social hierarchy are commanded by women. This unusual reversal of gender roles has led their female populace to be known as amazons, an epithet that the islanders have adopted and now wear with pride. Castalia was raised in this environment, where the surnames of men have been long forgotten and replaced with naught. Instead, the society, although female dominated, enjoys a great deal more gender equality than any other state of the Realm. It’s not that men are considered inferior, it’s just that the Persenoens have learned from history’s mistakes, and prefer to keep all forms of governance, particularly all things economic, social and militaristic, away from the hot headed and quick-to-temper minds of their menfolk. Appearance Trained, like many of her fellow amazons, in the arts of combat from a young age, Castalia has been blessed with the hard and chiseled lines of a warrior’s form. Despite her muscular physique, she is incredibly feminine and takes a great deal of pride in her appearance, knowing full well that beauty is just as much a weapon as a sharpened spear. Although, when traveling, Castalia has her priorities, and maintaining her long, dark brown-almost-black hair, or perfuming her tanned skin, falls into second place. Taking care of her armor and weaponry and safely traversing the roadways of the Realm are her number one concern. Like all Persenoes born warriors, she wears the bronze armor of her homeland; a light bronze cuirass, with matching cast grieves, as well as armguards, and plumed helmet. Underneath the exquisite armor, she wears a fitted shift made of light cotton and silk, like all servants of the Persenoes State. After generations of training warriors, Persenoen amazons are generally taller than most regular human females, and broader in shoulder. However, despite their amazonian evolution, human males of the mainland would struggle to notice the difference and would only be able to identify an amazon by her armor. ' ' History Castalia was born into a good family, although because of the advanced nature of Persenoes society, every family is a good family, and disreputable names are hard to come by. As the second of three sisters, she was groomed to join the island’s port authority as an officer in the guard. Her elder sister will eventually inherit the larger portion of her family’s wealth and her younger has been sent to serve Asteria, the amazon goddess of wisdom and battle. After spending more than five years policing the docks of Persenoes, Castalia learned a great deal about the mainland from passing traders and sailors and yearned to set sail herself. After putting together a small amount of money and gaining permission to leave her role, she set sail to the mainland, with an idea to enter the forthcoming games at Cathedra Gate, the Realm’s largest celebration. After hearing tales of legendary weapons from a crewmember during her crossing, rather than rush to the capital, she disembarked at Pelaj and made the long arduous journey to Them Darhul in search of a weapon that would improve her chances of victory. ' ' Skills and Notable Traits The spear is the traditional weapon of the amazon and as such, Castalia is most comfortable with a pole arm. She is adept with a short sword but prefers keeping her opponents at a distance wherever possible. Of course, working in the ports of Persenoes, Castalia is no stranger to hand to hand combat. The number of drunken sailors who have felt the full force of her fists are too numerous to count. Typically, very few amazons practice magic, as many of them show no natural aptitude for it, however there have been special cases. Like all Persoenes born, Castalia was schooled in the basics of magic but pursued it no further. She has a natural ability to perceive magic and sense it, though she doesn’t use it herself. Aside from battle, Castalia is a relatively adept healer, who understands the nature of many kinds of wounds, illnesses, and injuries, and most importantly, how to heal them. An integral part of her duties as a port official included identifying diseases and the sailors that showed any deadly symptoms, and applying first aid to any casualty that may stumble off of a gangplank. Like all Persenoens, Castalia is a proficient sailor and has spent many an afternoon sailing across the calm waters that surround the island.